FanFic

What is Fanfic?

The simplist definition of fanfic is a story about characters from another work (book, movie, or tv show) that the author does not have permission to use. So when Peter David gets a contract to write a Star Trek book, he is writing a media tie-in (and getting paid) not fanfic. When Joe Ordinary, without a contract, writes a story where Picard meets Janeway, he is writing fanfic (and not getting paid, alas). Note: there are exceptions where fanfic has been published and paid for, most notably a couple of Star Trek collections and anthologies of stories written in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover universe.

At one point in history all characters were free. Americans on the frontier swapped stories about Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, Zorro and other larger than life characters. These stories could mutate, grow, and spawn new stories without anyone worrying about ownership. Then came copyrights and trademarks, which established property in characters.

There probably has been fanfic as long as there has been fiction. Lots of people wrote Wizard of Oz stories (many authorized, some not) or followed up on adventures of Sherlock Holmes. But the sudden end of the original Star Trek series created a tidal wave of fanfic as fans refused to let the characters and background die. They wrote about Star Trek in countless fan-published magazines (called fanzines) and eventually caused Paramount to authorize a collection of Star Trek Fanfic as a book, Star Trek: The New Voyages. This showed Paramount that fans' interest in Star Trek had only grown over the years and led to the revival of the show in movies, books, and The Next Generation.

Why Science Fiction?

While fanfic isn't just limited to science fiction, the overwhelming majority of it is either science fiction and fantasy or a related field (comics, gaming etc.) There is a reason for that. Science fiction/fantasy is the only genre where the backgrounds can be completely unique and therefore owned by a writer/corporation. A fan of mysteries set in 19th century London can use the same setting with an original character without it being fanfic. A fan of romances in hospitals can create her own hospital since all hospitals are pretty much similar. But a science fiction book or show can create an entire imaginary universe. If other people want to use that universe (or even one close to it), they need to get permission or write unpaid fanfic. I suspect a book about a starship "Explorer" that had hyperdrive, nuclear torpordos and lasers, a Galactic Confederation, and an alien science officer wouldn't make it past the lawyers (actually, it wouldn't get past the editor).

A look around the bookstore will show very few tie-in novels for anything other than science fiction. I've seen a couple of Columbo mysteries and a few Murder She Wrote, but in science fiction even near-flops get a book series (Does the world really need hardback copies of Earth: Final Conflict novels?)

Why Buffy?

So why is so much of my fanfic writing based on Buffy, the Vampire Slayer? Good question. First, I think this show is the best thing currently on tv. It combines interesting characters with a nice mix of plot, action, and humor. Second, the show leaves lots of holes to write about. There is an extensive mythology that is bigger than the show (enough for another whole spinoff at least.)

Here are some links to other information about fanfic.

This is Dr. Merlin's Guide to Fanfic

Here's a good definition of fanfic from a Star Trek point of view with advice on how to write and how not to.

Here's a history of fanfic

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